Black Carbon: A Global Priority for Health and Climate Action.
Leading global authorities have highlighted the urgent need for systematic monitoring and reductions in Black Carbon and Carbonaceous Aerosols. Their research and statements, supported by data from scientific bodies show that reducing Black Carbon is crucial not only for mitigating climate change but also for safeguarding public health.
Below are key messages of leading global authorities. Aerosol Magee Scientific is dedicated to helping with global reference instruments and scientific work.
| 1 | Clean air is fundamental to health. |
| 2 | Air pollution is now recognized as the single biggest environmental threat to human health. |
Good practice statement BC/EC
Based on insufficient evidence to propose an air quality guideline (AQG) level, the guideline development group (GDG) decided to formulate the following three good practice statements on BC/EC directed to countries and regional authorities.
| 1. | Make systematic measurements of black carbon and/or elemental carbon. Such measurements should not replace or reduce the existing monitoring of pollutants for which guidelines currently exist. |
| 2. | Undertake the production of emission inventories, exposure assessments and source apportionment for BC/EC. |
| 3. | Take measures to reduce BC/EC emissions from within the relevant jurisdiction and, where considered appropriate, develop standards (or targets) for ambient BC/EC concentrations. |
Source: WHO global air quality guidelines, p.144
EU Directive on Ambient Air Quality now requires Black Carbon measurements.
More specifically, the directive introduces additional sampling points for unregulated air pollutants of emerging concern, including Black Carbon (BC).
Key Highlights
| Establishment of urban and rural monitoring supersites |
| Comprehensive monitoring of pollutants: PM10, PM2.5, NO2, O3, BC, NH3, and UFP |
| Emphasis on emerging pollutants, such as Black Carbon |
The Directive defines “black carbon” (BC) as equivalent black carbon (eBC) derived from optical methods.
On supersites, indicative measurements must be taken of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to provide information on their total mass concentration and chemical makeup (chemical speciation concentrations) on an annual average basis.
Source: Proposal for a directive of the European Parliment
In 2024, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the health-based annual standard for PM2.5 from 12 µg/m³ to 9 µg/m³.
While EPA does not yet require measurements of BC, this new PM2.5 standard of 9 ug/m3 means that it is more important than ever to understand the composition of Fine Particulate Matter – in order to develop strategies for management, reduction, and compliance with the new standards. In many cases, Carbonaceous Aerosols will be a major fraction of the allowable PM2.5, according to a recent study on the 15-year spatiotemporal trends of air pollutants across the USA.
A recent study on the 15-year spatiotemporal trends of air pollutants across the USA, including carbon fractions measured by Aerosol Magee Scientific’s DRI model, highlights the targeted actions needed for further air quality improvements.
Stringent federal, state, and local measures on inorganics (sulfate, nitrates, and ammonium) have reduced PM2.5 over the past decades. However, further improvements may require targeting carbonaceous species.
Source: US EPA
| ▪ | Carbonaceous aerosols are extremely diverse. | |
| ▪ | They impact air quality, public health, visibility, cloud nucleation, the planetary radiation balance, and climate forcing. | |
| ▪ | Carbonaceous aerosol are composed of BC/EC and organic aerosol (OA), which consists of different molecular structures: carbon + hydrogen + oxygen + nitrogen + sulphur | |
| ▪ | The OA fraction is the largest and the least understood | |
| ▪ | Global carbonaceous aerosol budgets and trends remain poorly characterized due to limited observations. | |
| ▪ | The various components of carbonaceous aerosols have different optical properties, so the knowledge of their partition, mixing, coating and ageing is essential to assess their climate effect. |
Source: Climate change 2021
Black carbon, formed by the incomplete combustion of wood and fossil fuels, warms the atmosphere, lasts a shorter time in the atmosphere, yet has significant direct and indirect impacts on the climate, snow and ice, agriculture, and human health.
Key data
| Warming impact of up to 1,500 times stronger than CO2 per unit of mass |
| Household energy accounts for almost half of global black carbon emissions |
The trend is going in the right direction – the amount of human-caused emissions is declining.
CCAC supports implementation of control measures that, if globally implemented by 2030, could reduce global black carbon emissions by as much as 80%.
Source: CCAC coalition – short lived climate pollutants – black-carbon
Superpollutant black carbon was on the agenda at COP28. Clean Air Fund (CAF), a philantrophic foundation tackling global air pollution was present with “pollution pods” which imitated days of high air pollution in cities like Beijing, New Delhi and London. A particular focus for the organization is black carbon or soot – a component of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, part of a “family of largely gaseous pollutants that are short-lived, but intensely climate warming”, explained Sean Maguire, strategic partnerships and communications director at CAF, when speaking to Energy Monitor in Dubai.
Two weeks before COP28 began, the US and China agreed to set nationally determined contributions (NDCs) for 2035 that are “economy-wide, [and] include all greenhouse gases”, as a part of a bilateral climate deal signed at Sunnylands, California.
COP28 also saw a $450m pledge from leading climate philanthropies to deepen investment in ‘super pollutants’ including fluorinated gases, nitrous oxide, black carbon and ground-level ozone.
China and the US’ new focus on “economy-wide” emissions was endorsed by COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber on day two of the conference; a “great” development, said Maguire, because it will lead countries to start measuring the climate footprint of non-CO₂ pollutants such as black carbon and methane.
References to non-CO₂ pollutants made it into the final draft of the Global Stocktake text, the primary outcome of COP28 and a response to the global climate challenge.
Source: superpollutant black carbon
TO MEASURE IS TO KNOW
Ana Mohar, marketing specialist
E-mail: amohar@aerosolmageesci.com
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